Find freedom in forgiveness

Sometimes, we need to forgive ourselves - not think we were fools to get into the situation of being hurt. Or, see ourselves as weak when we attempt to forgive others. It's the hardest thing we'll ever do - to forgive like Christ - and it is one of the most searched topics about faith. Jesus said, "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." If you know the Seven Last Words of Christ, one of the last things Jesus said from the cross was, "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they are doing." Imagine Him being able to say, "Forgive them," when He had been tortured, beaten, and then was being crucified, in addition to the abandonment, mockery, and derision He also suffered. Kendall goes on to say that included in forgiving others is forgiving God and ourselves. In the introduction to his book, Total Forgiveness, R.T. Kendall tells of the time that he revealed to a friend from Romania, Josif, how badly he had been hurt by someone or by a group of people.
Josif's response to R.T. was, "You must totally forgive them. Until you totally forgive them you will be in chains. Release them, and you will be released."

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